Monorail transportation system



July 3, 1923.

- F. R. CORNWALL MONORAIL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Filed July 14, 1922 5Sheebs-Sheet 1 July 3, 1923.

F. R. CORNWALL MONORAIL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Filed July 14, 1922 3Sheets-Sheet 2 n&\

July 3, 1923.

F. R. CORNWALL MONORAIL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM sets-Sheet 5 Filed July 14Ei B Patented July 3, 1923.

FREDERICK a. CORNWALL, on sat LOUIS, ivrissoonr.

nononnrr rnnnsronrn'rron s'Ys'rmvL I Application fiIed J'uly 14, 1922.seriainofsmem;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK R. CORN4 wALL,'a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at St. L0uis,l/lisso1 iri, have invented a certain newand useful Improvement 111 Monorail Transportation Systems, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and eXactdescription, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to ma'keand use thesame reference being had to the-accompanying drawings, forming part ofthis application.

invention relates to monorail transportation systems of the general typede scribed in my copending application Serial Number 537,329, filedFebruary 17, 1922, and consiSts-inrail suspending means and carrierconstruction especially adapted for freighttransportation, including theshipment of logs, lumber, and unit containers of less than a carloacl' vOne'object of my invention 18 to reduce the cost of such a system sothat it maybe installed'under conditions where the extent of the lengthof its use would not justify the investment necessary for morecomplicated trackw'ay and. equipmentdescribed in the abovementionedapplication. I

' Atnother'objeot of tiny invention is to'pro vide a system which maybeerected andhandled by unskilled labor and inplaces where the usualmonorail Qc'onstuctionor surface line would be very expensive andperhaps impractical;

Another object of my inventionis to pro:

yide equipment for transporting freight wherein each carrier is adaptedtosupport one or more units or containers each of which forms a completeshipment vinde pen'dently of the other containers 'which may be mountedon the carrierfi This adapts my present system to form a link in atransportationiroute in which ladin'g containers are transported bytruck,"'railway cars; barge, etc.,'without handling the lading at eachtransfer. v

"Another object of my invention is to provide a truck and carrierconstruction which will be simple .and'rugged and at the same timepossess the flexibility necessary to pre vent unduedeterioration of thetrackway and the supporting means-for the latter.

*In the accompanying drawings which ilplained'. J

lustr at'e a tion,

Figure 1, illustrates a typicalinstallation of my invention in adistrict where the sys selected embodimentof my inventern isbein'gus'edfor transporting logs froma lumber camp to arailroad,wharfror other 7 shipplngipoint.

' Figure 2 is an. elevation of al portionof the trackway and itssupporting elements and of a carrier mounted thereon, the latter beingillustrated in a manner which discloses various means of therefrom. vFigure 3 is a cross'sec-tion of a trackway andcarrier. 3 I I Figure 4 isa detail of one ofthe lading supporting elements mounted upon the Canr1er.

Figures 5 and 6 are respectively side and top view s'of the carriertwo-wheel truck.

Figures 7,8 and 9 illustrate details of the truck construction [andwillb e referred to later. f i The track rail 1 instead; of beingrigidlysupporting the load supported by steel towers is preferably sus- Ipended from an overhea d'fcable 2 extending longitudinally of ther'ailand supported in turn at intervalsby"transverse cables 3 which [aresecured'ito; suitable supports.

spaced at varying distances from each other and the track. These:supports'mayalso vary in height and. in construction. In Figure 1 thesesupports areshown as trees wh1ch, of course, are 1n thelr originallocatio'nand obviously varyin spacingfandsize. Where the supports mustbe erected this conv struction permits the accommodation ofrvariationsin'the-surfacecontour. In some in,

stances the utilization 'of' pre-existing build: 'ings' or otherstructures is possible.

Rail 1 is piyotally suspended from-cable 2 by a pluralityof'vertical'chains,'1'o'cls or ,t

cables each provided with afbracket 5, channel-likein its contour, withits flanges disposed laterally or horizontallythe end of one flangebeing'secured'to a cable 4 and the endof the other flange rigidlyconnected-to vertical portions positionedupon thesame side of'rail 1 forthe reason hereinafter eittrack 1. Allof these brackets have their ofthe member may be varied so as to equalize the tension upon the memberand provide an equal distribution of the rail sup porting strains alongcable 2.

The track is best illustrated in Figure and consists preferably of abeam section which sustains the load and a rail section 7 which receivesthe tires of the truck wheels 8. This track is similar to the one shownin above-mentioned application, is old in the art and forms no part ofmy present in vention.

l l hile the car trucks may be of any desired type, a convenienttwo-wheel construction, is of the two-wheel type, detailed in Figures 5and 6, and besides the wheels comprise two wheel pieces 9 and 10 and-coiled springs 11 compressed between the wheel pieces to form ayielding load sup porting structure. Each wheel piece is journaled atone end upon its respective wheel, as illustrated in Figure 9, andextends diagonally upwardly and toward the other wheel until it crossesthe other wheel piece, from whence itevtends horizontally toward the.other wheel. These wheel pieces are arranged in pairs and the pair 10journaled on one wheel are spaced 'trom each other agreater distancethan the pair 9 journaled on the other wheel so that when the piecescross each other. the outer surfaces of the latter pair are adjacent tothe innersurfaces of the former pair. Where the wheel pieces cross eachother they are pivotally connected by a pin 12 and where the horizontalportion of one 'wheel piece opposes the diagonal portion of the otherwheel piece, suitable spring seats 13 are provided. By this constructionany depression orelevation in the rail or anything else which wouldcause a disturbance in the strain upon one of the wheel journals isimmediately equalized by the compression of one spring 11 and the eX-pansion of the other. 7

The carrier in the present embodiment consists of a structural I-beam 1%which is supported from each of the trucks by a channel-like bracket 15,the upper end 01" which extends up that side of the wheel pieces whichis opposite from the side upon which rail supporting brackets 5 arelocated. The upper -flange or" bracket 15 extends across wheel pieces 9and 10 and is flanged downwardly on the opposite side far enough toreceive pin 12 which also extends through the body of the bracket and isthereby placed in double shear. The pin 12 and bracket 15 form a pivotalmounting for the carrier 14:, enabling it to swing longitudinally of thetrack and thus relieve the latter and the trucks from excessive strainswhich would result from a rigid support of the carrier.

The lower portion of bracket 15 extends laterally and upwardlycorresponding to the extension of the upper portion of the bracket andthe carrier 14 is provided with a ball and socket bearing 16 in thisflange ot' the bracket so that pivotal movements in a longitudinal planeof the bracket upon the truck and pivotal movements of the carrier intransverse plane upon the bracket 15 are readily accommodated.

Slidably mounted upon carrier 14, but provided with fastening means, isa series of hangers 17 each here shown as provided with a hook 18adapted to engage an eye 19 ot a suspended container 20, a link of a logchain 21, or any other load supporting means. hese hooks 18 arepreferably pivoted to hangers 17 so as to further rev here the wholesystem from strain, and it will be noted that the load is pivotally suspended 'lromhooks 18, thus being further conducive to the same end.

Gontainers 20 are cubical cases suitably reinforced by structuralelements 22 and provided with doors, hoppers, or other load receivingand discharging elements according to the class of merchanise for whichthey are intended. Each of these containers may be mounted upon acarrier independent ot the other and be unshipped at any point, thusproviding tor uninterrupted travel of the carrier and the eliminationotrepeated handling of themerchandise.

Where two or more containers are supported upon one carrier, it isnecessaryto prevent their swinging against each other and therefore eachcontainer is provided with a. link 23 mountedlon one edge and alinkengaging element 2& mounted on its opposite edge, link 23 andelement 24 on adjacent containers serving to bracethem from each otheras shownin Figure .2.

It will be understood thatthe containers 20 may be made in various sizesfor different classes'of merchandise. 'Obviously, a container. intendedto carry bulky goods, such furniture ormachinery, would neeessarily belarger and probably of a. differ:- ent construction than that requiredfor grain or ore. I 7

Some containers might require a plurality of brackets 17. Somemerchandise could be suspended from the carrier withoutany con; tainer.The logs are only one form, of such merchandise. Hencethe adjustabilityof brackets 17 along carrier 14 isa mate-rial advantage.

Each carrier is provided with suitable coupling elements 26 whereby aplurality of carriers may be coupled together just as the cars of atrain, and it will be understood that a locomotive truck will usually'beprovided for motive power, although, under certain limited conditions,the system may be operated as a gravity monorail. the.carriers beingreturned to their loading point by a cable or similar arrangement.

Various modifications in. the details of construction of my inventionwill suggest themselves and I contemplate all such as are.

of each Wheel piece on the other wheel piece,

and a load carrying member suspended from the point of interengagementof said wheel.

pieces.

2. In a monorail carrier, spaced trucks each comprising tandem wheels,individual wheel pieces journaled at their ends on said wheels, crossingeach other andhaving a pivotal interengagement at their crossing point,and provided with a load carrying member pivotally suspended from thepoint of their interengagement. and a rigid frame carried by saidmembers.

3. In a monorail carrier, a truck comprismg tandem Wheels, indlvidualpalrsof wheel pieces each pair journaled at one end on one of saidwheels, the members of one pair being spaced further from each otherthan the members of the other .pair,- said pairs crossing each other andhaving a pivotal interengagement at their crossing point, e

the vertically aligned portions ofsaid pieces 1 having opposed springseats, springs compressed between said seats, and a load carryingelement suspended from .the pivotal interengagement of said wheelpieces.

4. A monorail truck whose wheels are flexibly connected'for independentmovement and a suspended load, the point of reaction ofsaid load beinglocated within the zone of the wheel base.

5., A monorail truck whose wheels are flexibly connected for independenta'rcuate movement, and a suspended load, the point of reaction of saidload being located within the zone of the wheelbase.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signaturethis fifth day ofJuly,'1922.

- FREDERICK CORNWALL...

